Beast cracks nod in Super Rugby’s Nickname XV

JOHANNESBURG. — Former Springbok prop Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira has cracked the nod in Super Rugby’s Nickname XV.

With the game currently suspended due to the coronavirus, organisers in New Zealand picked an all- time Super Rugby team of players with the best nicknames.

Zimbabwe- born Mtawarira, who announced his retirement following last year’s Springbok Rugby World Cup win in Japan, is the only South African named in the XV, which also features 12 New Zealanders and two Australians.

New Zealand Rugby on Monday unveiled plans for a domestic competition - Super Rugby Aotearoa - to kick off on Saturday, 13 June, while Australia is making plans to start playing its own domestic event in July.

It remains uncertain when South Africa, currently in lockdown Level 4, will start playing rugby again.

Super Rugby’s Nickname XV 15 Brendan “Chainsaw” Laney ( Highlanders), 14 Nick “Honey Badger” Cummins ( Western Force), 13 Conrad “Snakey” Smith ( Hurricanes), 12 Richard “Barracuda” Buckman ( Highlanders), 11 Julian “The Bus” Savea ( Hurricanes), 10 Stephen “Beaver” Donald (Chiefs), 9 Aaron “Nuggy” Smith ( Highlanders), 8 David “Bam Bam” Pocock ( Brumbies), 7 Scott “Razor” Robertson ( Crusaders), 6 Liam “Squid” Squire ( Highlanders), 5 Brodie “Guzzler” Retallick (Chiefs), 4 Kevin “Smiley” Barrett ( Hurricanes), 3 Wyatt “Crockzilla” Crockett (Crusaders), 2 Anton “Hatch” Oliver ( Highlanders), 1 Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira ( Sharks)— Sport24.